Driving Thursday
The goal is to get horse and carriage on the same load [Milton’s Show Schedule, Driving]. We have two options.
Horse in Bumper-Pull, Carriage in Truck Bed
We buy a cheap – relatively – bumper pull, leaving the bed of the truck free for the carriage.
PRO
Less Expense.
CON
Less Ease of Use. This would mean going back to a bumper-pull, something we said we wouldn’t do after buying a gooseneck.
Less Convenience. Coach Kate says everyone goes through this phase. It sounds great in theory. Then you find out that you have to hitch/unhitch every time you access the carriage. Plus, you have to unhitch and unload immediately if, say, your wife uses the truck as her day-to-day vehicle.
Horse and Carriage in Long Trailer
Purpose-built for driving, either new or used.
PRO
Convenience. Load & go.
Horse Welfare. Horses have better, i.e. more stable, ride on a gooseneck. Far away venues equals long rides for the horses.
Carriage Welfare. Protected from rain and bug splatter.
CON
Expense. Shudder
Size. Great for driving. Too much trailer for a single riding horse going to a lesson.
We are still mulling.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
I’m a carriage girl for many years, and it’s a tough one. Definitely not fun to hitch and unhitch. We usually end up with two vehicles, one truck with the carriage and other truck/trailer with the horse/s. (An older, extra truck helps!) But we usually don’t go too far, and it doesn’t rain too much in Southern California. Best to you in sorting it all out :)) Dawn
This is one of the reasons why we belonged to a driving club, but never invested in actually doing it ourselves. The gear. Dear Lord, the GEAR. It made everything we’ve accumulated just for riding three horses pale in comparison. That, and the fact that we have very few places one can actually “go driving,” pretty much killed it for us. Good luck with that!
Aggg. I’m not hearing easy answers from you people.